Members of MASC's Federal Relations Network delegation met with more than 900 other school leaders from around the country in Washington DC Jan 30-Feb 2 as representatives to the National School Boards Association Federal Relations program.
Attendees heard from. among others, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who reaffirmed the administration's commitment to funding public education as reflected in the $3.5 billion increase to education in the FY11 budget. He also discussed the administration's plan to offer sweeping changes to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation whose reauthorization has been on hold for more than a year. Among the changes the administration has proposed are eliminating the 2014 deadline for all students achieving proficiency and replacing the current one-size-fits-all accountability system with a more multi-faceted approach for identifying schools that are truly failing their students. MASC members also spent a day on Capitol Hill, meeting with the MA Congressional delegation and their staffs. At these meetings, legislators were particularly encouraged about the prospects for MASC's positions on protecting Social Security and rescinding the elimination provision. There was also much interest in issues around student mobility and transient students as well as MASC's concerns about NCLB reauthorization and aspects that need to be changed in the law.
Pictured left to right: Patrick Francomano (King Philip Reg.); Debra Bibeau, Immediate Past President (Amesbury); Kathleen Robey, President 2010 (Marlboro); Mary Jo Rossetti, Secretary-Treasurer (Somerville); Michael Gilbert (Whittier Voc. Tech.); Dorothy Presser, President-Elect (Lynnfield); Lisa Berry (Plainville); Penny Blackwell, Vice President (Upper Cape Cod Voc. Tech.); Ann Marie Cugno, Division II Chair (Medford)
